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Thank you for your detailed thoughts on both tracks! It's cool you think this would work well for a puzzle game and that my idea for an interactive/adaptive soundtrack made sense.

I just checked out some gameplay footage of Electroplankton and wow! How had I not heard of this before!? Very cool game and it's an honor to have my work compared to it. Also, I read a little of the game's Wikipedia page and this part stood out to me: "Nintendo president Satoru Iwata explained that the unusual reason why director Toshio Iwai's name appears directly on the game's packaging is because he alone had created it." -- hmm, quite interesting for a DS game! As someone who likes reading about game development and experimental music and art, I'll definitely be looking up more info on Iwai and his work!

Thanks again for your review!

Thank you! I'm still learning and experimenting when it comes to making music, but it's encouraging to know certain feelings are coming through to the listener!

Hey, glad you enjoyed it! And thank you for mentioning the Tempest 2000 soundtrack -- I was not familiar, but listened to some of it just now and there's some banger tracks in there! Definitely a cool piece of techno music history!

Also, what you said about the cover art made me think it might indeed be interesting to work backwards by starting with music and a cover and *then* making the game 💡

Pseudo-retro is a great way to describe what I was trying to do! Thank you so much!

It's interesting to learn which track people liked more! Thanks for listening!

Hey, I appreciate the feedback! I agree, what I was trying to do is perhaps a bit tricky to convey musically, and I probably didn't quite hit the mark. Also, I did clip a bit intentionally to get a strained strained lo-fi-ish sound, but I might have went overboard in places. 😂

This track was a great ride! Started off with a really dreamy feel. Really liked the opening buildup going into around the 1-minute mark and subsequent breakdown and guitar solo, and then again building up in the final third to the end where it was really flying. I appreciated the judicious use of stereo and EQ; was nice to listen to on headphones as I had the impression there was always something new going on with the dynamics throughout. Also very cool mix of instruments -- well-timed drum fills and that "sparkly" xylophone or whatever that was was a nice touch. Also the introduction of the twangy guitar in the second half was an unexpected but welcome twist. There was something a bit discordant about the piano in the opening, but I'm not sure why -- maybe the color of instrument itself wasn't quite meshing with the others or the the notes were actually off-key -- pardon my ignorance, I'm still pretty new to music theory. It could've been intentional though, as a similar thing was happening with the twangy guitar later, but I felt like it worked better there. That's just a small thing, though. Overall, great work -- you put a lot of care into crafting this and it shows!

Really like the jazzy style and tone of this! Very fun to have a story about saving the world that doesn't take itself too seriously. I could imagine the waltz scene being very humorous and tense. Quite an interesting choice to make such a sax-focused soundtrack, as well -- I enjoyed the saxophone composition throughout, but I could have used a little more variety in the dynamics of that instrument in some places (volume, etc.), to spice things up. Also more rhythmic variation in the percussion within each track would have been nice, although I understand you might have wanted to keep it fairly consistent to be more loop-able, which is understandable. "Limited Time Spy" nicely brought together the themes introduced earlier. Overall, the tracks all work well together and have a nice flow! 🎷

Right from the opening grace notes I was immediately reminded of some Studio Ghibli soundtracks, and I mean that in the best way possible. I think you succeeded in creating an aural landscape that gave the impression of ancient traditions and mysteries being unearthed. I could picture in my mind quaint villages in a lush pastoral setting dotted with giant arcane ruins. The heroes, plucked from their simple lives, hesitant, hapless, yet able to rise to the occasion when tradition and crisis collide. The climactic rise of the brass instruments near the end of the last track was so nice. Absolute pro-level work! 💯

Ooh, very nice compositions! I liked the overall feel of the tracks, they reminded me quite a bit of music I often hear accompanying silent films with dramatic tonal shifts and instrumentation that could be achieved with a small group of musicians following along what's happening on-screen.

Here's some thoughts on individual tracks:

Time Laboratory
The first half of this with the piano and cello was quite pleasant and I definitely got a "mustache-twirling villain" vibe from the wind instrument coming in the second half!

Everything's Slowing Down
I think that accordion-like instrument was a very good choice for expressing the time slowing down part -- I was picturing in my mind something like a circus performance where time suddenly slows down when the acrobats are in mid-flight. I actually think it could have potentially been pushed even slower, to really contrast with the more "normal" time step!

Don't Get Clocked!
Very interesting choice with the mysterious, almost middle-eastern-sounding opening transitioning into a classic boss fight type of song. I think you succeeded in creating a memorable theme for the villain here.

Overall, you definitely take the listener/player on a journey. The clock sounds are incorporated well throughout and I think you evoke the theme very well. Based on the storyline you wrote, I could definitely see this being the soundtrack of a game that incorporates stylistic throwbacks to 1920's sci-fi tropes with the laboratory setting (think Metropolis or The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari). Great job!

Greetings @thatgoditchsenpai! Ok, now it's my turn to apologize for being late (assuming you even remember my original message, it was so long ago 😆). I made a note to reply to you after I had a chance to read up on the concepts you mentioned when you responded to me. They were a bit over my head, but I really appreciate you taking the time to educate me a on baroque and classical music composition -- I am trying to learn more about this kind of stuff, and this was useful information! 👍

Anyway, it kept slipping my mind, but now that it's the end of the year I'm trying to clear my to-do list, so here I am!

As for your question about what I meant by the music "carrying" me... well, it's hard for me to put into words. Like I said, I'm probably not as versed in music theory and terminology as you. However, I was listening to this performance of Monteverdi's "Vespers of 1610," recently, and I think it captures the experience that I'm talking about. As I listen to it, I have a constant sense that the music is moving "towards" something... the tempo slows down, it speeds up, it crescendos, it drops to almost silent. There are several different musical "ideas" being explored, it doesn't stick with the same pattern for too long, and yet there's still a sense of unity. I know there are probably better terms to articulate these concepts, but as someone listening to it, I'm mostly going by my feeling, and to me it feels like the music is "carrying" me forward. I hope that makes sense, but I understand if it's a little vague. 😄

Another thing I want to mention is that I think it would help the listenability of your pieces greatly if you switched to a different type of software for the instrumentation. I know maybe you are used to notation software, so that's what you have available, but this is probably not the best for final output. There are good free programs out there (I use LMMS), but they might require a different workflow than what you're used to. It's worth trying new things, though!

Anyway, if you have any more questions you can feel free to message me. Also, I noticed you didn't participate in the previous OST Composing Jam -- do you think you will make anything for the one that is currently ongoing (OST Composing Jam #5)? It would be cool to see you submit something if you have time! (But no pressure -- there's always next time!)🎵

Oh, and I currently post my stuff on my SoundCloud, but music production is still very much a hobby for me, and I still have a lot to learn. I am glad for the opportunity to discuss these kinds of things with other musicians, beginners and professionals alike! It looks like you are well on your way in your own musical journey, and I wish you the best of luck! Take care!  

I don't know much about Virtual Boy hardware, but it does seem to be capable of pumping out some groovy tunes in the right hands, and you used it well! A lot of chiptune music can sound muddy and indistinct when it isn't composed effectively, but you gave the tracks memorable melodies and layered the harmony and bass sounds in that tried and true synthwave fashion that's so easy on the ears. The pulsing rhythm made a big difference, as well, and the drums sound surprisingly good. The main theme got a tad repetitive for me by the end, but I think that's just a product of listening to it on its own -- if it were in-game during an arcade racing segment, as you say, I probably wouldn't notice, and in fact it might be preferable that it stays relatively consistent.

Very nice work and awesome effort breathing life into a less-commonly used sound chip!

I appreciate that you brought some funk and soul style to the cyberpunk theme -- the effect is very cool! All the tracks are good enough to be listened to on their own, and it's actually hard to pick a favorite. But shout out to the flute solo in "Get a move on," the syncopated rhythms in "Reflection" and the general epic buildup in "Mission Complete." Great basslines throughout. The mixing is overall quite solid, but a couple of things that seemed out of place for me were the snapping sample in "Press start," the bell in "Get a move on," and the record scratch (?) at the end of "Reflection" -- they all work well in the tracks, but in my opinion they stand out a bit too much in the mix and could have been integrated more. That's a fairly minor nitpick, though -- you have a lot of unique elements in there that are working together just right.

Really awesome OST. I'd love to play the game that has these as backing tracks; mad vibes, for days! Great work!

This is a very chill track, and yet I think it communicates a sense of uncertainty and mystery, which fits with your story about waking up with organs replaced by robotic parts (that would be... unsettling, to say the least 😨... or would it be an improvement? 🤔). I think it would work in-game as you described, looping as the player attempts to piece together how they got there, perhaps as they're presented with some clues and world-building moments.

Nice use of choir elements along with classic synthesizer sounds. The mixing seems good and has enough variation to keep it interesting. I like that you added some filters and noise so it doesn't sound too "clean" and digital, which gels with the cyberpunk aesthetic.

Overall, this reads to me as a quietly confident piece that knows what is wants to be and executes on that vision, which is cool to see. Great job!

Hey, you got some really interesting sounds and composition here! I liked the wild contrast between the electronic beeps and boops and the ethereal choir voices! The whole piece feels like a mix of things from different sources that came together in a way where they are forced to get along, and it's very compelling!

One aspect that I think could use some reworking is that buzzy, grindy synth that is paired with the lead instrument at the beginning. In my opinion it should have faded out after the intro and then been used sparingly throughout. The way it is now where it basically continues unabated throughout the piece I'd say does a disservice to the other elements which are harder to hear because of it. I think I understand what you were going for, using it to create a base sound layer, but I think this could have been achieved another way, like with some manipulated white noise, for example.

This track was quite a ride, though, and I enjoyed the intentionally rough edges which gave it a cool analog, but techy feel, like a recording that's been dubbed over and regenerated multiple times over decades, picking up musical elements along the way. It's a very unique take on the cyberpunk theme -- great work!

Wow, very interesting concept to make the track about the theme of "thirst" as it relates to cyberpunk. I think you managed to capture it well with these layered sounds that call to mind what could be a domestic setting in a hopeless future world that's not so different from our own. In the beginning I could sense the ennui, which then gave way to alienation, and finally disaffecting dread. The various recorded sounds had an oddly satisfying feeling to them. All the stereo panning effects made this very cool to listen to on headphones -- there were some parts when it even seemed like the audio was originating inside my head! 😵‍💫😆

A short, but surreal and finely-crafted aural experience -- great work!

That's quite a story you came up with, and I'm here for it! The overall vibe felt oddly nostalgic for me, like I was listening to some soundtrack I remembered from years ago, but of course not really (maybe it's an implanted memory -- very cyberpunk 😋). It has that "adventure in a techno future world" sound, for sure. 

The tracks have different feels to them and yet all form a cohesive whole. I think I could hear some repeated motifs in there -- I actually think you could have leaned into that more and made some of those reprisals even more explicit, especially at the end (maybe they were in there and I just wasn't listening carefully enough, in which case, ignore that suggestion).

The title track and "Countdown" did a good job of setting the beginning and ending tones, respectively. I think my other favorite track was "Bastion" -- it really gave the impression that some cool stuff was going down, story-wise. "Neon Streaks" has a unique style and I like how it slowed down at the end. I liked "Metro," too, but I will say that high-pitched buzzy instrument was slightly grating to listen to for the whole song. Maybe it just needed a little work to "settle" it into the mix a little more.

Very cool work, overall, though. Nice job! NVIDIA Corp. should be proud to be only one letter away from this rad OST!

Diggin' the industrial feel of this with those drums and driving guitar riffs! It did bring to mind a cyberpunk city setting. I also really liked the emotional progression of the piece, where it starts out with a rather oppressive tone, but eventually that solo melodic synth comes in like a little ray of light in the darkness, and everything builds until it ends up sounding downright triumphant. You really take the listener on a journey with this one! Very well put together and very fitting for the theme -- great job!

Really moody and atmospheric! I'd say you have a pretty good handle on this synthy kind of stuff for someone that's not used to it -- kudos for stepping out of your comfort zone!

I especially liked "Rough Streets." It felt a lot like a track by The Glitch Mob (check out their album "Drink the Sea" if you want an example of what I mean). I think the harder edge of those buzzy synths really fits the cyberpunk theme!

Night Drive is cool as well, I liked the mysterious feeling of the opening. One recommendation I have based on other songs I've heard in the genre might be to vary the mix a bit on that solo instrument that comes in during the second half. It works really well in the composition, but the problem is once it progresses to the higher pitch range, there's nowhere left to go and the listener is left wanting more -- this is where mixing effects like ramping up the reverb or playing with the EQ can break things up and give some added oomph even at the top of the range. I'm no expert, though, so I may not be using the right terminology, but hopefully that makes sense.

"Ecstacy, Everywhere" is well-crafted as well and has a chill EDM feel. My first instinct was that it was a bit too "clean" for cyberpunk and maybe didn't fit with the other tracks... but then I thought, eh, it can't be all doom and gloom in the corpo-infested future -- there's gotta be some hope, too, right? 😄

Overall, was fun to listen to and I think you expanded beyond the stereotypical cyberpunk sound. Great work!

Cool style! I appreciate that you went for an authentic chiptune sound! I'm not sure what all is possible with the emulated NES hardware, but the bass voices were a little harsh to my ear, maybe because they reminded me of computer error sounds (which might actually fit the cyberpunk theme even better, lol 😄). Other than that, I think most of the instrumentation was good. The intro track felt a bit disjointed to me, especially the part that starts around 0:43, which could have maybe been more integrated into the composition. The title screen track did better in this regard, having a clearer structure, but maybe it could have used more variety. I think the "Ingame Theme" had the best overall impact, but I think it just needed a little something extra to give it that theme song "punch." It was an enjoyable listen, though: the tracks complement each other well and I could definitely imagine them in a retro cyberpunk game! Nice work!

Haha, that's great! To think this piece created that kind of reaction in the real world 😂

Thank you for your review!

Wow, this is interesting feedback! I hadn't considered the piece from a sci-fi angle before -- but now that you mention Metroid, I know exactly what you mean! You're right in that I conceived this as being an ambient accompaniment to some sort of horror scene. Thank you for sharing your detailed thoughts on listening to it and I'm glad the mixing and effects added to the experience!

Thank you for your review! I agree some elements aren't gelling together as well as they could, and you're spot on about the ending -- it was mostly due to me running out of time, lol. I wish I'd had a bit more time to work on it, but I'm glad the "spookiness" came through! 👻

Hey, I appreciate you taking what I said to heart -- the ending is totally understandable in the context of originally going for a loop. Like I said: the piece was already great, and my critique was basically just me being greedy and wanting *MOAR* 😆

I'm sure you got more great stuff coming down the pike -- best of luck with your future projects! 🎷

It's cool that you took the "Fastest Spook in the West" theme and came up with something that musically evokes the Western US (at least to me). I really liked the opening! It set a pretty recognizable tone right away -- I was imagining people exploring the weird/spooky/occult happenings in and around the backroads and desert highways way out in ranch country. The guitar and the xylophone had a good feel to them and it was interesting how they "took turns" throughout the piece. I think you made really good use of some classic horror/sci-fi sounds, too, like the Theremin-like instrument and the creepy strings. I think the choir could have been better integrated into the mix, and there were a few places where I felt like the percussion could have used a bit of variation in volume, but overall the different sounds came together quite well. Great work!

Very interesting composition! There were many parts that felt unexpected and original (in a good way!), starting with the opening back and forth between the choir-piano combo and the xylophone -- such a cool idea! Also some of the things the choir was doing around the 20-second mark and again towards the end were giving me a kind of "Spanish waltz" vibe that took me by surprise and moved the piece away from the more stereotypical orchestral style. It was nice that you didn't go the usual horror movie route, but still managed to maintain a sense of mystery and uneasiness. Nice work!

Wow,  awesome arrangement and production here! You really captured a very specific vibe. I was groovin' to that bassline and you managed to somehow find the perfect "skeletal" xylophone sound, not to mention having another type of xylophone-ish instrument, too, which was a nice contrast. The drums and cymbals felt just right, not overpowering the mix, but solid. I also liked how near the end the brass section opened up a bit -- my one critique is I would have liked to have heard you lean into that even more and amp up those jazz elements to the point they almost come off the rails. You know, really drive home the wildness of a skeleton band playing like there's no tomorrow... but that's probably a personal preference and outside the scope of what you were intending for the piece 😅. Overall, this is clearly pro-level stuff, nice work! 

Ooh, this definitely has a spooky feel to it! I actually thought that the imagery that the song itself was evoking in my mind was a bit disconnected from the text and images you included for the description. I didn't get the sense of someone slowly coming to realize something is coming after them -- I think the intro would have needed to be a little quieter and build up for that.

Rather, this came across as someone that's running away mid-chase in a very climactic scene! Also, maybe it's because of the grand pipe organ-like sounds, but I also didn't get the feeling of someone being alone on a foggy street. Instead, I was picturing a gothic castle of some sort. I will say, though, my viewpoint is probably biased heavily by genre tropes -- in some ways it might be good to play around with existing conventions to keep things interesting.

That all has to do more with intent, though -- when it comes to the piece on its own, I think it succeeded in creating an atmosphere akin to some old school horror movies. You mentioned that this is your first time creating music, and this is actually an amazing first attempt! I think as you continue to learn and improve, you can think about things like mixing (EQ, reverb, stereo, etc.), but you should be proud of what you've made -- good work!

I'm digging the retro game style of this piece! The xylophone had a very satisfying tonality and it felt good when it came in. I also liked the stereo effects and mixing you did on it. I think the organ-like synth wasn't quite as strong in terms of how it "felt," if that makes sense, but served its purpose and contributed to the spookiness. This would definitely fit into a ghosts and goblins kind of game that is also upbeat and doesn't take itself too seriously, which is a great place to be. Nice composition, overall!

Hey, thank you for taking the time to explain this mechanic to me! I totally understand that you ran out of time and couldn't get all the features you planned for -- but this is great for a jam game!

I think if you did want to keep improving it, then it might help to show (with animation, colors, etc.) which bubbles have a bigger effect. Maybe you could even introduce some "combos," like having a bigger effect if the player hits more than one bubble from the same throw, or some bubbles could act as multipliers. There could also be "power ups," like making the ball bigger or having some "explosions" -- I guess you would have to figure out how that fits into the theme of meditation, though! 😆

To answer your question, yes, I think even disabling the controls for just a few seconds on "Game Over" (maybe there could be an onscreen timer) would help prevent someone from accidentally restarting the game before seeing the final score.

Anyway, like I said, I like the art style and you came up with a lot of funny ideas which you executed well for the time you had!

Hey, these are some solid turn-based RPG mechanics, here! I've never played Dicey Dungeons, so I can't speak to how it compares, but I will say that the name "Coiny Catacombs" as a riff on that is quite clever, haha.

I think the biggest thing that would improve your game would be some tweaks to the user interface. Once the player understands the pattern of what needs to be done, things move along in a predictable way, but some on-screen graphics and animation could help direct focus.

For example, in the middle of a fight, maybe have an arrow pointing at the coins and a hand icon to show you can click and drag them. The "flip again" button could be moved closer to where the coins are so it's more obvious they are related, and there could be an indicator that shows you can only re-flip once. While the coins are being dragged, the open slots could shine brighter. When it's the player's turn, maybe the enemy's skill info boxes can fade to a darker color so the focus is on the player's info. When the player can't do anything else during a turn, perhaps the "End Turn" button could be highlighted. Also, the information you have in the sliding side-panel could probably just be shown on screen between fights, so that it's easy to see HP changes based on the coin flips from different encounters.

Little things like that can help with the flow and teach players what they need to do even without written instructions. I know that might be a bit more polish than you had time for in a one week game jam, but just throwing out some suggestions.

Anyway, I think you managed to capture the classic RPG adventure feel pretty well given the time constraints. Nice job!

Hey, this is a really fun concept! It matches the theme well and I like the art style -- the facial expressions on the guy while he's trying to meditate are hilarious! Also, props to you for taking the time to make an intro cut-scene, haha.

The controls felt really tight and responsive, and, with the "bouncing" mechanic, it was actually surprisingly deep. I couldn't figure out exactly what I needed to do to keep the game going, though. The bubbles didn't come in any specific pattern, so eventually they just overwhelmed (that's a good metaphor for our thoughts, too, haha).

I thought the little icons for the different vices were quite funny, but I also couldn't understand the mapping between what popping the different bubbles was doing to the meter, so my main strategy was to just pop as many as I could. You mentioned in the description that "different thoughts have different effects," but it might help to show some animation or visual indication of what those effects are, so the player knows what is helping and what isn't. I would recommend showing the score during gameplay, too. A lot of times when I got a "Game Over" screen, I'd still be pressing buttons and the game would restart before I could read the score. Maybe you could make it so the player has to click or press a different button to restart.

Anyway, nice game with a fun art style and groovy music! Keep it up!

I appreciate that you are trying to tackle an important message with this game. I actually somehow had never heard of the 988 hotline before (or if I had, I couldn't remember), so I think for players in the US, this could be helpful information.

I also had the same issues that @pecheny mentioned below. I didn't realize at first that I had to press [enter] to continue to the next bit of intro text, and then, when I did think to try that, nothing happened, so for a while I thought maybe that wasn't what I needed to do. Then it worked when I hit [enter] again. And, yeah, hitting enter twice in a row can crash the game.

I know that maybe you ran out of time and couldn't put some things in there, but I would recommend having more instructions and find ways to telegraph what the player can do. If you want more information about this, I would recommend checking out the concept of "affordances" in game design.

I think you have the core of an adventure game setup that you can now use for future games. I hope you keep going with it!

Hey, I think you got the beginnings of a cute, arcade-type game here! I can confirm that the HTML5 build does not appear to be playable (isn't responding to keyboard input). Using Haxe with Godot is an interesting workflow I wouldn't have considered. The Windows build is rather huge for the gameplay involved, but it works  (I haven't used Godot before, so I'm not sure if this is a typical .exe size).

I liked the pixel art and the simplicity of the style, but I would recommend having more landmarks or maybe a tiled/grid floor because it's sometimes hard to see if the character is moving on a single color background. The walking speed felt responsive and items were spawned with enough frequency that I could easily find them. I noticed picking up some items increased the health bar and some decreased it -- I didn't really know which would do what, so maybe that could be more clear. Is there any way to defeat and/or escape the googly-eyed jelly ghost monster thing? It kind of reminded me of the Abominable Snowman in Ski Free -- it just eventually shows up out of nowhere, lol. If there was some way to attack or do something other than walk, I wasn't able to find the button for it. I'm not sure if the game crashed at the end or if the program just exits when you get caught by the monster, but it was a bit jarring for the window to suddenly close without a game over screen. Anyway, I think it's a good proof of concept for the workflow. Also, nice music loop for a short game! Keep it up!

😂 lol, thanks! I ran out of time before I could make it a proper game, but it was a good learning experience for my first time working with Haxe and OpenFL.

Thank you! Ah, yeah, I forgot about that aspect at the time I submitted, but the source is up, now! 👍

Thank you so much! Heh, yeah, it seems like a lot of people got their start with LMMS. It's great software!

Interesting, I hadn't noticed the similarity to whale sounds, before, but I can hear it now! Thanks for the kind words!

Ooh, hopefully they're the voices in your head that drive you insane in a good way… right? Right!? -- Haha, anyway, thank you for taking the time to listen and comment!

This is totally fair criticism! I'm glad the eerie/exploration feeling came through, but I can definitely see how you got more of a "post-apocalyptic future" vibe than "forest." I'm already thinking of ways I could try to get that across. Thank you for your feedback, this helps a lot!